


Allies

by ebbj9891



Series: In Quest Of Something [29]
Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-13 23:36:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4541802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebbj9891/pseuds/ebbj9891
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mel and Linds host a dinner party for the other parents at Gus' school, the evening proves tedious for Justin, Brian, and Gus. Justin has to tolerate an intrusive line of questioning, Brian would rather be anywhere else, and Gus is fed up with being excluded. Fortunately, they have allies in each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Allies

The very second that Justin can flee, he does.

It seems to take an age to find a way out of the deathly dull conversation he’s been having with the couple in matching sweaters. The moment he’s gone, he practically runs from one end of Mel and Lindsay’s dining room to the other, where Brian is lurking in the corner. He’s using his phone as armour by pretending to be preoccupied by a text. In doing so, he’s successfully isolated himself from all the other dinner party guests.

Justin envies him. He wants in. He hurries to Brian’s side and huddles up with him in the corner. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Brian says, glancing up from his beloved phone. “One second.”

“I know a fake text when I see one,” Justin murmurs, grinning at Brian knowingly.

“Hush, Sunshine. Don’t give me away.”

Unfortunately for Brian, his bad behaviour has been detected by someone else. As Lindsay circles the room with a tray of drinks, she grabs Brian’s sleeve and scolds, “Put your phone away.”

Brian rolls his eyes, but he obeys nonetheless. After slipping his phone into his back pocket, he grabs a couple of glasses of wine. Lindsay smiles at them both, kisses Brian’s cheek, then continues making her way around the packed dining room.

Justin grabs one of the glasses and takes a very generous sip. “Is it just me… or does it feel like we’re the naughty children who are about to be put in timeout at any given moment?”

“It’s not just you,” Brian replies sourly. “Do you think anybody else got read the riot act by Melanie before this hellish event started? We’re definitely ‘naughty children’ in her eyes.”

“Well,” Justin deadpans, “You’re a much _older_ child. Clearly, you’ve led me astray.”

With a snort, Brian refutes, “Bullshit. There was never any need to lead _you_ astray. Also-” he grabs Justin’s hair and gives it a tug, “Quit calling me old, you little shit.”

Justin laughs and grabs Brian’s collar to pull him in for a kiss. A quick kiss, of course - they’ve been specifically warned not to make out with each other. Justin rather wants to ignore that rule, but he knows Mel is keeping a close eye on them, so he resists.

“Who were you talking to before?” Brian asks, nudging Justin up against the wall.

Justin smiles as Brian hovers close to him; he’s now tucked securely between Brian and the wall, which is really quite pleasant. “John and Stacey. They’re parents of a boy in the year above Gus’. Topics of discussion included taxes, some BBC documentary that sounds soul-suckingly dull, and their idea of arts and culture.”

“Their idea?”

“Standard straight people arts and culture.”

“Ah.”

Justin drains his glass of red wine and sets it down. “If only we hadn’t been banned from playing drinking games…”

Scowling, Brian complains, “Of all the rules they came up with, that’s one of the worst.”

“You know… Mel said we couldn’t play. She didn’t say we couldn’t devise a set of criteria.” Justin grins cheekily at Brian. “Drink if you think someone would get on really well with my father.”

Brian grins back and joins in eagerly. “Drink if all they can talk about is their precious little ones.”

“Good thing we’re not actually playing; I’d be wasted by now.” Justin chuckles. “Drink if they want to know when we’re getting married.”

With a soft scoff, Brian adds, “Drink if they don’t understand our total lack of interest in marriage.”

“Drink if they insist we’ll eventually change our minds about: a) marriage, b) more children, or c) the very tempting landscape that is suburbia.”

“Drink at any mention of the tax system.”

“Or if any discussion pertaining to personal finance lasts more than, oh, let’s say… five minutes.”

“Ah, so you’re feeling generous tonight. Drink if…” Brian pauses as Lindsay does another loop of the room. As he waits for her to move out of earshot, he takes a sip from his glass of white. Then, wrinkling his nose, he mutters, “Actually, don’t drink. Not if they’re serving this shit.”

Justin takes Brian’s glass and steals a sip. He hands the glass back hastily and concedes, “It’s not the best.”

Brian is less forgiving. As he gags and puts his glass down, he complains, “It tastes like cat piss cut with apple juice. Shit, if I have to survive this thing sober…”

“You won’t. The red’s better, and also…” Justin grabs Brian and pulls him a little closer. Once he’s sure that nobody is looking, Justin digs into his pocket and pulls out his flask. “Here, I’ll cover you.”

“Sunshine,” Brian says, feigning a terse voice, “Do you think this might be the sort of thing that might explain why we’re treated like naughty children?”

Justin pulls a face at him. “Do you want a drink or not?”

With a shrug, Brian grabs the flask and takes a quick drink from it. Justin grabs it back and takes one himself.

“Much better,” Brian murmurs. He smiles and tucks the flask back into Justin’s pocket. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Justin leans in and nuzzles Brian’s neck a little. “You know… I wish we were upstairs.”

Interest sparks in Brian’s gaze. He arches an eyebrow at Justin and queries, “Is that right?”

“I wish we were in our room, all on our own…” Justin kisses the soft, silky skin at the hollow of Brian’s throat. He slides his fingers into Brian’s hair and whispers, “I wish you were shoving your cock down my throat.”

With a slight trace of a growl, Brian demands, “Is that what you want?”

“That’s what I want.” Justin meets his gaze and holds it. “I want you to fuck my mouth until I’m about to choke on you, and then-”

_“Justin.”_

He jumps as Mel appears beside them. Shit - now they’re in for it.

Mel places her hand on Brian’s arm and pushes him away gently, thus forcing some distance between the two of them. She then wraps an arm around Justin’s shoulders. In a deceptively sweet voice, she says, “Honey, can I have a word with you?”

Trying his best to mask his reluctance, Justin agrees, “Sure.”

“Thank you.” Mel gives him a squeeze. From a distance, it probably looks affectionate, but up close, it reads as a clear warning. “If I hear one more word like that out of you… if I catch you doing _anything_ of the sort under this roof…”

She pauses, then drops the cheerful tone and kind smile, and whispers harshly, “I will take you outside, string you up by your ankles, and cut your balls off.”

“Does that policy apply retrospectively?” Brian angles a big grin her way. “Because he’s choked on my cock many a time whilst under this roof. In fact, just last night-”

Justin kicks him and warns, _“Brian.”_

Brian just grins at him. Apparently he isn’t at all fazed by Mel’s terrifying threat.

Mel narrows her eyes at Brian. “I wasn’t going to apply it retrospectively, but if you two don’t get your shit together, I might just. You’re supposed to be getting to know the school community. These people are going to be a part of Gus’ life for the foreseeable future so it’s important that we build good relationships with them. So drop the dirty talk, keep it in your goddamned pants, get the fuck out of your little hidey hole over here and go and talk to people. **_Now.”_**

Then, after planting a very intimidating kiss on Justin’s cheek, she turns on her heel and marches towards the kitchen.

Brian leans in close and whispers, “Wanna make a run for it?”

That’s a seriously tempting offer. It takes Justin a good thirty seconds to build up the willpower to resist said temptation. He focuses on Gus and resolves, “Nah, let’s stick it out. For Gus’ sake.”

“For Gus’ sake,” Brian echoes. He heaves a sigh. “Fine, let’s get on with it.”

*

For Gus’ sake, they go and strike up a conversation with Lydia and Zach, who are proud parents to twin baby girls and a boy, Lucas, who is in Gus’ reading group. Justin doesn’t mind Lydia and Zach - they’re both pleasant and they’re clearly _his_ kind of straight people. That is, they seem totally at ease with both him and Brian. None of their pleasantry is forced and there isn’t a trace of awkwardness.

The same can’t be said for everyone in the room. Justin has noticed that a few of the parents seem uncomfortable. Since he does seem to be feeling generous tonight, Justin decides to give them credit for trying to hide their discomfort. The fact that they’re here is promising too. There are lesser people who wouldn’t have shown up to a dinner party thrown by a couple of dykes who are parenting a kid with a pair of fags.

Just as Justin is really warming to Lydia, who is full of praise for Gus’ reading skills, they’re joined by Charlie and Teresa. Justin tries to recall what Lindsay said when she introduced them earlier - he thinks they might be the parents of Abbie, who Ruby and Gus play with occasionally.

“Lydia,” Teresa says brightly, “How are your little ones?”

Justin suppresses a smile when he feels Brian elbow him lightly.

“Great. They’ve both started walking!”

“That’s so exciting!”

For some time, the conversation turns to the recent developmental accomplishments of Lydia and Zach’s twins. Justin tries to stay engaged in the rundown by offering the requisite praise and throwing in a question or two. As Zach pulls out his wallet to show off some pictures of the girls, Charlie turns to Justin and Brian and asks, “How many do you two have?”

“Just the one,” Brian replies.

Justin tries not to laugh at the relief that’s embedded in Brian’s tone.

With a glimmer of intrigue, Teresa asks, “Any plans for more?”

“No,” they both say at once.

Justin flashes a smile at Brian and then explains to the group, “We’re happy with Gus.”

“He’s a lovely boy,” Charlie says with an approving smile. “Abbie does enjoy spending time with him and Ruby.”

“They’re great kids,” Brian agrees, with evident pride.

“And you’re sure you won’t want more?” Teresa looks at Brian curiously. She seems dismayed when he shakes his head firmly. “Justin? What about you?”

Justin shrugs and smiles at her. “Brian and I made our minds up a while ago.”

“We made our minds up after Lucas,” Lydia says, laughing. “And then our minds changed.”

“Minds change all the time.” Teresa smiles knowingly at Lydia. She then turns that infuriatingly smug expression Justin’s way. “Yours probably will too.”

“I guess that happens all the time,” Justin concedes. “But I don’t see it happening for us. We’ve talked about it and our minds are really made up.”

He’s truly grateful when Zach raises his glass and offers his support by saying, “To each their own.”

“Speaking of ‘own’...” Teresa peers at Justin curiously. “Don’t you want at least one of your own?”

Without any delay, Brian says, “He has one of his own.”

Immediately, Justin adds, “I have Gus.”

“Of course.” Charlie nods. “But what about a child that’s your own from the outset?”

“Mine ‘from the outset’?” Justin can feel his polite façade beginning to falter. Feigning naïveté, he says, “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Well… from what Melanie and Lindsay told us, Gus only became yours very recently. Wouldn’t you like to experience it from the beginning?”

“He was there from the beginning.” Brian’s hand settles on Justin’s lower back. “He came with me to the hospital and saw Gus when he’d just been born. He gave him his name, too.”

“It’s a darling name,” Lydia says sweetly. “How did you choose it?”

Justin smiles at her gratefully. It’s nice having her as another ally in the midst of all of this. Unfortunately, his gratitude is quickly extinguished when Charlie barrels forward with his insulting line of questioning. “That’s wonderful, of course… but what about the planning? The pregnancy? It’s so much to miss out on.”

“I doubt I’ll ever get to experience pregnancy,” Justin retorts drily.

As Brian and Lydia chuckle and Zach chokes on his drink, Justin forces a pleasant smile at Charlie. It’s the kind of smile he’s seen his mother adopt in awkward situations; a smile that is supposed to read _please will you kindly shut the fuck up now?_

Sadly, Charlie doesn’t interpret it that way.

“Well, there’s surrogacy. Isn’t that quite prevalent for people in your situation?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Justin frowns. “By ‘people in my situation’, I assume you mean a gay man who doesn’t want any more children… right?”

Zach grins at Justin. “You know, I think you might be right. Amazingly, I don’t think surrogacy is all that popular with people who intend to remain childless.” 

Just as Justin is grinning back, Teresa cuts his good mood short by asking, “Can you really have decided that? You’re only young, sweetheart.”

The question is insulting enough in and of itself, but the ‘sweetheart’ tacked onto the end makes Justin see red. The only thing that stops Justin from biting Teresa’s head off is Brian’s hand grabbing at the back of his shirt. It’s just enough to remind him where they are and what they’re here for. Justin grits his teeth as Brian says with remarkable charm, “He may be young, but he knows what he wants. Trust me on that.”

Brian punctuates this by stroking Justin’s back gently. Justin eases a fraction closer to Brian; he’s glad to have him by his side for this. Lydia and Zach are proving to be a good support system, but Brian is his strongest ally by far.

“Fair enough.” Teresa smiles sunnily at Justin. “I only hope you stay open to the possibility. There’s nothing like the joy of having your own.”

At the very same instant, Justin and Brian insist:

“I have my own!”

“He _has_ his own.”

Justin edges even closer to Brian as he explains firmly, “Gus is mine. He belongs to… well, we belong to each other.”

“Father and son,” Brian adds. He’s still forcing a pleasant smile but tension is bleeding into his tone.

“Of course,” Charlie says. “I think T was referring to the biological bond. It’s a wonder - wouldn’t you say so, Brian?”

Before Brian can answer, Justin cuts in. “Maybe you should ask Mel and Linds. They ought to be able to comment on the alleged disparity between being biologically bound versus being an adoptive parent to a child.”

That shuts Charlie right up. He clamps his mouth shut and then smiles very thinly at Justin. 

Justin knows that look. It’s a close relation to _please will you kindly shut the fuck up now?_

Finally, they understand each other.

He forces an empty smile back at Charlie and then leans into Brian’s side. Brian kisses the top of his head and continues stroking the small of his back, just as Lydia saves them all by changing the subject to something less rage-inducing.

*

The very second that Brian can flee, he does.

He waits until Charlie and Teresa have fucked off to join another circle at the party and then leaves Justin chatting happily to Lydia and Zach. Brian makes a beeline towards the kitchen, grabs Lindsay, and steers her into the farthest corner where they won’t be overheard.

“You know Charlie and Teresa?”

“Yes,” Lindsay says with a slight frown. “What about them?”

“Keep them the fuck away from me and Justin,” Brian warns, “Or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

“Why? What happened?”

Brian considers giving her the rundown of their interrogation of Justin, which was likely well-intentioned but thoroughly ill-conceived. But just the thought of it makes his temper rise – talking about it will surely devolve into ranting about it, and that won’t lead anywhere good. At least, not right now.

“Never mind,” he says. He leans in and kisses Lindsay’s forehead. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay.” She smiles at him with great warmth. “Do me a favour? Go and check that Gus is settled?”

“Sure.”

Brian exits the kitchen and strides swiftly through the dining room. He moves as quickly and purposefully as possible to avoid being snared by some other insipid straight person. He then legs it up the stairs and heads over to Gus’ bedroom door.

He opens it a fraction, expecting to slip into a darkened room, but instead finds the lights on. It seems that Gus isn’t in bed where he ought to be. He isn’t ‘settled’ whatsoever. Rather, he’s sitting at his activity table with a tub of Legos that he’s fashioning into a castle.

As Brian swings the door open and steps into the room, Gus looks up. His eyes go wide and he blushes bright red. There’s a single second of shocked silence, and then Gus springs into action. He leaps out of his chair and dives into bed and under the covers, then curls up with his eyes closed and starts to snore.

It’s a daring ploy; Brian will grant the kid that. It also piques his interest – perhaps he can make an ally out of Gus.

“Sonny Boy,” Brian laughs. He closes the door behind him and goes to sit down on Gus’ bed. He pats Gus’ shoulder. “Hey, kiddo. Rise and shine.”

Whilst faking a yawn, Gus asks irritably, “Daddy, what is it? I was sleeping.”

“You were…?” Brian scoffs. “Kiddo, you were not sleeping.”

Gus rolls over and pouts up at Brian. “I was so!”

“You were playing with your Legos,” Brian counters firmly.

“I was _not!”_

“Kiddo, you _were.”_

Gus looks mortally offended. He bolts upright with a scowl and points his finger at Brian as he protests, “Daddy, I don’t know what you _think_ you saw, but-”

“You’re not in trouble,” Brian interjects.

Gus pauses. He blinks up at Brian curiously. “I’m not?”

“You’re not.” Brian ruffles the kid’s hair and hoists him up. As he settles Gus in his lap, he says, “It’s not very fair, is it? Asking you to go to sleep while there’s a party going on.”

“It’s the worstest,” Gus mumbles sulkily. He curls into Brian’s chest and mopes, “Moms wouldn’t let Justin read to me. I had to read all on my own.”

“Hmmm.” Brian nuzzles Gus’ mop of hair and hugs him tight. Few things make him feel this good. As Gus squeezes him needily, Brian smiles into his soft brunette locks. He imagines Justin could use a good hug from Gus right about now. As an idea begins to form, Brian muses, “You know, I bet Sunshine wouldn’t mind reading to you. You’d just have to ask him really nicely.”

Quite tragically, Gus points out, “I’m not allowed downstairs.”

“You weren’t allowed to play with the Legos, either.”

“Huh.” Gus frowns. Then, a dangerous gleam lights in his eyes. “So you’re saying I can come downstairs?”

“I’m saying nothing stopped you from playing with those Legos. Just like nothing’s stopping you from coming downstairs and asking Justin to read to you.” On that note, Brian sets Gus back down. He settles him in bed and tucks him in carefully. “Oh, and Sonny Boy?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

Brian picks up Gus’ teddy from the shelf and holds it at bay. “You didn’t hear this from me. Just like I didn’t see you playing with those Legos. Deal?”

“Deal,” Gus agrees eagerly.

Brian hands the teddy over and watches Gus’ face light up. “Good lad.”

Gus grins at Brian. “Eskimo kiss?”

“Sure,” Brian chuckles. He bumps his nose against Gus’, which draws the most delightful giggle out of Gus. Brian bumps their noses once more. “Goodnight, kiddo.”

“Goodnight, Daddy.”

*

Of course, it isn’t ‘goodnight’. That much is plainly evident from Gus’ devious, devilish tone.

Brian suspects he ought to feel some guilt at leading his kid astray, but really, it’s a small price to pay. He can’t suffer through much more of this dinner party. With Gus recruited, Brian will hopefully soon be able to flee.

And even if he can’t escape this hell, he’ll at least be able to free Justin. That’s something. Hell, that’s really something. Brian can only imagine how tense Justin still feels about the altercation with Charlie and Teresa. It will be his pleasure to give Justin an out from these tedious proceedings.

So it’s a huge relief when he sees Gus marching into the dining room. When he appears, Brian has to stifle a huge burst of laughter - Gus has changed out of his normal pyjamas and into his polka-dotted onesie. He’s carrying a teddy in one hand and has a soft blanket tossed over his shoulder. Even his hair has been masterfully mussed to make Gus look all the more adorable.

The kid knows how to put on a show, that’s for damn sure.

“Gus,” Lindsay exclaims as she spots him coming. Brian can’t fault her for sounding alarmed – she must know that Gus is up to something. With haste, Lindsay jumps up and goes to kneel in front of Gus. “Honey, are you okay? We thought you were in bed.”

“I _was_ in bed,” Gus says sternly. He gives Lindsay a look that indicates she’s going to cop most of the blame for him being quarantined from the party. “I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t get my story.”

“Well, baby, remember we talked about this? How you were going to read to yourself-”

Gus ignores this and flounces away from her. As soon as he has cleared Lindsay, Gus quickly drops the righteous indignation. He smiles winningly at each and every one of the guests, who all seem thoroughly charmed by him.

As Gus makes his way around the table, he stops in with Mel and Brian to give them each an adoring kiss. Then he makes a beeline for Justin and hurls himself into his arms.

Brian watches with admiration as Justin scoops Gus close. Most affectionately, Justin asks, “What’s up, Gussy?”

“I need my story,” Gus says. He regards Justin solemnly. “Why can’t you come and read to me? You’re the only one who ever knows how.”

“Justin is very talented at storytime,” Mel announces. “Gus rarely tolerates anyone else’s company.”

Curiously, Charlie queries, “How does that work when you two are in New York?”

It’s a good thing that Gus is prepared to answer the question, because the only answer that Brian can summon is a heartfelt _shut the hell up and go and fuck yourself, you presumptuous prick._

“Sometimes I let moms read to me,” Gus explains. Brian has to stifle a laugh - the way Gus puts it, it sounds as though he lords over the bedtime story procedures and graciously deigns to allow his mothers a look-in. “And sometimes I read to myself. But I also get to call Jus and he reads to me over the phone.”

“We read together,” Justin adds. He snuggles Gus affectionately. “We chose a matching set of books - a Toronto set and a New York set. We read those a few times a week.”

“That’s such a lovely idea,” Lydia says, smiling at the two of them. “I’m sure we wouldn’t want to get in the way of storytime…”

She glances at Mel, who nods at Justin. “Okay, go on, you two. But we’re having dessert soon - try to be back in time for that.”

Gus’ eyes widen with delight. “Really?”

Mel smiles and shakes her head at him. _“Justin_ needs to be back in time for dessert. _You_ need to have your story and then go to bed.”

Gus huffs. After sulking for a moment, he mumbles, “But I still get my story?”

“You get your story,” Lindsay confirms. “Off you go.”

Gus is up like a shot. He grabs Justin’s sleeve and tugs him out of the dining room and up the stairs.

As their footsteps fade up the stairs and into Gus’ bedroom, Brian exchanges a knowing look with the munchers. “He won’t make it back in time.”

“Not a chance,” Mel laughs.

“Gus rarely settles for less than three stories,” Lindsay explains with an apologetic shrug. “That’s probably the last we’ll see of Justin for the evening.”

“Never mind,” Lydia says. “We’ll catch up with him another time. He’s promised to show me some of his artworks… they do sound so intriguing.”

“They’re brilliant,” Brian and Lindsay say in unison. They smile at each other, then Brian adds, “He’s incredibly talented.”

“He is,” Mel agrees. “Why don’t you tell us all about it, Bri?”

She smiles at him and nods encouragingly. To everyone else, it probably looks quite sweet, but Brian reads her message loud and clear: _You may have bailed Justin out, but you’re not going anywhere._

Brian doesn’t mind. He freed Justin and that’s what matters most. Plus, now he can brag about his brilliant boyfriend’s spectacular career.

That’s not bad, really. Not bad at all.

*

The very second that Gus can flee, he does.

It doesn’t seem fair that everyone else gets to be at the party and have dessert, but the concept of ‘fair’ doesn’t preoccupy Gus for very long. He’s soon distracted by the promise of storytime. 

He grabs Justin by the sleeve and drags him upstairs. Gus bolts into his bedroom and dives into his bed, which is waiting for him, all warm and cozy. He snuggles under the blankets whilst clutching his teddy tightly.

“Okay, Gussy.” Justin grins his sunniest grin. “What are we reading?”

“The mermaid one,” Gus commands. He watches as Justin goes to retrieve it from the bookshelf and then pats the mattress eagerly. As soon as Justin joins him, Gus wriggles into his lap and cuddles up there. Teddy is in his arms and he’s in Justin’s. It’s a pretty happy place for all of them to be.

“Right,” Justin says. He presses a few tiny little kisses to the top of Gus’ head. “ _The Mermaid Princess._ Let’s see…”

As Justin starts reading, Gus rests his hand atop the page and strokes the glittering illustrations. They all look so magical; Gus is mesmerised. He rests his head on Justin’s shoulder and listens attentively. A few times, he makes Justin go back and re-read pages because they’re his favourite and hearing them once simply isn’t enough. Then, when the story is done, Gus begs to choose another. And another, and another. Luckily, Justin says yes.

They’re halfway through the fourth story when Gus starts to drop off to sleep. He tries to stay awake but he can feel himself fading fast. He can’t even muster the energy to beg to stay up when he feels Justin lying him down and tucking him in. He would like to stay up, but the warmth of his bed and the glow of his nightlight are sending him to sleep. In his head, mermaids are swimming around in the glittering, deep, blue sea. 

As he imagines swimming with them, Gus is faintly aware of his father opening the bedroom door and sneaking inside.

“Hey. Is he asleep?”

“Almost. Is it over?”

“Yeah, finally.”

“Thank God. Thanks for giving me an out.”

“Any time.”

Gus murmurs happily when he feels someone stroking his hair. The conversation seems be drifting away from him as he succumbs to sleepiness.

“We should go to bed, Sunshine.”

“Can’t we stay for a while? With him?”

“It’s an awfully small bed for three people.”

“Yeah, but one of us is tiny.”

“You are very petite, aren’t you?”

“Shut up and get over here.”

The third last thing that Gus is aware of is the bed dipping.

The second last thing that Gus is aware of is being snuggled between his two fathers in the warmest, safest hug ever.

The very last thing that Gus is aware of is his fathers whispering their ‘I love yous’ to each other very quietly, just as sleep steals him away.

**The End**


End file.
